Tracey Ferguson

Wheelchair Basketball

"The perpetual self-challenge of being better is what I love."

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1974, Tracey Ferguson was the youngest of 6 children and learnt at an early age how to be a competitor! Growing up playing street hockey and competing in everything she put her mind to - it was Tracey's dream at an early age to represent Canada on the podium.

Suffering a spinal injury at the age of 9, Tracey returned to competitive sport after discovering Wheelchair Basketball at her local fitness center. "I started playing when I was 12 at Variety Village in Toronto, Canada. It's a sport and training center that promotes inclusion for all. They offered wheelchair basketball as well as many other sports and I was hooked from the start. Once I started playing, I fell in love with the game. It's always a challenge because no matter how much you learn or how great a game you've played, there are still elements you can do better. The perpetual self-challenge of being better is what I love"

With her dream renewed through her love of wheelchair basketball, Tracey reached the world stage and the podium at both the World Championship and the Paralympic Games. Also named to two world all-star teams in 1998 2002, Tracey has been on Team Canada since 1991 and is just as determined to reach the top of the podium again as she was at the age of 12. "At the beginning, the biggest challenge was getting strong enough to play and also learning the technical and tactical aspects of the sport. Now, having played longer, it is staying healthy, injury free and making the small changes to my game to keep improving. Basketball really opened the world to me. As a young kid, it gave me a sport to play and a way to be active - like my able-bodies friends. It allowed me to dream of competing for Canada, so I had a goal to aim for. I was fortunate to be able to continue playing at a high level whilst pursuing my university degree. I've traveled the world and met so many people and I'm incredibly grateful for what basketball has given me. I'm living my dream. I have great friends, an amazing family and I get to play basketball, representing Canada. There's not much more I could ask for!"